I'm a pilot for Porter on the E2. Great video (glad to hear you love the crews!) but I'd like to make one correction. ATC doesn't give preference to one airline over another when deciding who gets take off or landing priority. ATC couldn't care less which airline it is. It's first come, first served. The fact that Porter is a smaller (for now) airline means nothing. If I call for taxi before an Air Canada flight then we go first.
My experience with them was amazing. They’re really affordable but they offer such great service!! The free snacks, professional friendly staff was such a surprise because the ticket prices were cheap.
Me too. I really enjoy them. Seat back entertainment instead of BYOD (especially without device holders), global reach, lounges everywhere, etc. just because they are bigger, doesn't make them all that bad. They are my no1 Canadian carrier, and I have flown them all (the main ones - not things like air Tindi)
Flew with porter for the first time last year. I love that they fly to ytz instead of person. So cool being able to take off and land in downtown Toronto
I will always choose Porter if it's an option. Living in Toronto, being able to avoid Pearson makes up for a lot of cons, and I've always had good experiences with them. (I do make sure to book flights that aren't the last flight of the day, but I do that with almost every flight.)
I despise Air Canada and prefer flying West Jet, however, since they were bought out some years ago, they seem to be in a race with AC to the bottom. I did 2 trips to Europe last year- first with AC, major delays and my suitcase stayed in TO for days, sent to Europe ( no notification) and sent back. Finally got it a week after I got back. Second trip with WJ and KLM. No problems from start to finish.
I flew on Porter from Newark to Toronto and it was one of the best airlines I've ever used. At the time they had a lounge that was opened to all passengers which was awesome and I was able to relax with a nice latte before my flight. I would definitely recommend Porter. 🙂
I flew Porter from Toronto to northern Ontario on several business trips. Loved the service great attitude of the flight attendants. I was happy to learn Porter now flies to Las Vegas from Toronto Pearson airport. A friend of mine flew Air Canada last week to Vegas and flight was delayed 8 1/2 hours. That's why I am booking with Porter.
I’ve flown Porter many times to eastern Canada. Always pleased with service and the very friendly “Easy Coast Hospitality”. Watching this tonight from Johannesburg. Great travel info Meagan. Air Canada? :(……Don’t get me started!
Porter Airlines sounds pretty good. I love the "no middle seat" option! Of course that means these are all regional Embrarer 145-175? Meaning smaller jets...and if you're a larger person like myself...well may not enjoy the flight as much as a smaller person. I am working towards being that smaller person....Air Canada? Flown them once from Boston to Toronto. No issues.
I have only travelled with Air Canada once and I was not impressed with them. I thought they would be a full service airline but they were no better than a budget airline.
I used Porter Airlines in the only flight I've ever been on(Not including when I was 2 years old and I apparently went to Florida with my Nana and Papa while my brother was born). My flight with Porter was in 2013. My wife and I took a flight from the Island Airport in Toronto to Quebec City to get on a New England Cruise. I remember the stewerdess being nice and giving me gum when she noticed there was a problem with my head caused by the flight. I think it had to do with the change in air pressure. I don't really remember any problems with the flight itself. We made it and went on our Cruise. I came back via a train on AmTrak from Boston to Buffalo and a Lincoln Towncar limo from Buffalo to Caledon(just northwest of Toronto) where we lived at the time.
Near my town we have Avelo Airlines. They only have 5 planes in my state but they cover all the cities I need. They are equivalent to your porter airline.
@@mimibatman2787I'm in CT. Avelo is great. It saved my last Christmas when Frontier cancelled my flight to FL but Avelo booked me the next day on Dec 23! I was waiting on line for Frontier when they cancelled! Frontier airlines is awful!!
Reminds me of Spirit Airlines. Great for quick trips and low budget travelers but for couples, packers, etc like me aid prefer to get my seats and luggage included in my price rather than paying for every little thing. I get it though.
I’m booked to try Porter from Montreal to Halifax in May 2024 as part of my travels across Canada. Due to flying in from Dublin the night before I’ll need to do the whole upgrade the luggage thing so will be interesting to see how that goes.
Depending on how big the under-seat carry-on bag can be (and I could see this being very restrictive, like a laptop bag or small backpack) it may be possible to travel light and still get a good deal if you can manage to fit your stuff within a small backpack under the seat, and I would think for a 2-3 day trip, that might be possible and this could leave to a bunch of savings over alternatives that may charge you a higher price (but you get to bring a carry-on) which may mean more luggage than you may need for a short trip). Least favorite airline... there are a lot, but ones that top my list of "worst airlines flown" would have to be Spirit (the worst), Frontier (bad, but not as bad as Spirit). And I've flown Frontier about 3 times, only 1 time was "bad" but it was partially my fault due to seat selection -- I thought the exit row seat that had no seat in front of it was a good idea -- no it wasn't, not for a 4 hour flight, as this seat was plastic, didn't recline, and had almost no padding on the seat -- as it was designed to fold up in an emergency, so that was more my fault, than the airline). Spirit just nckle-and-dime you to death, like $8 to have a boarding pass printed (and this was before the pandemic, so probably more now, and I had to pay for a carry-on, which has beomce free for most other airlines. Checked bag I think was $45, which is $10 more than other airlines, so after a while, the charges make it cost about the same as fly United or even more than Southwest in some cases -- where on SW, checked bags are free but the fares are still competitive). American Airlines is probably my third least favorite, but still better than Spirit and Frontier, IMO, but worse than United and Southwest. Anyway, I think Porter seems to be more like some of the other budget airlines... great if you don't need a carry-on beyond a backpack, but more expensive if you do and/or you bring a checked bag, which $60 is extreme. Even United doesn't charge that (I believe only $35 for the first bag, and $45 for the second on a domestic US flight). Southwest is free, and also has no seat fees either (and this makes the $15 early-bird check in worth it as it's still cheaper than some paid seats on airlines that force you to buy a seat after you've paid a low fare, sometimes costing more than SW when all said and done). My only gripe with SW is that they have been slipping on their on-time stats, and have been delayed quite a bit over the past 2 years (more so than other airlines) so I only fly them when I can get a direct non-stop flight and I'm not on a tight time-schedule (ie. I can arrive any time during the day, for example if I'm on vacation -- so a 1-2 hour delay won't screw things up; otherwise I fly something else like United if timing is important, like for a business meeting or if I have a connection). The partnerships with other airlines though is one thing I do miss when flying Southwest as I have missed a flight once, and while they took care of it (I didn't have to pay anything) it did mean that I arrive a day later (this had a connection, and why I won't fly their flights unless they are non-stop) anymore). But they did pay for a night at the hotel in the airport and some food as a result, which was apprecaited, but annoying. Luckily I was on vacation so a missed night wasn't a big deal and the compensation made up for it (as I was just going to go to the hotel once I got there and sleep anyway).
I have been an Aeroplan member for over twenty five years. Their rewards program has gone downhill. A reward flight from YOW to MCO return, costs me a ton of points, plus an outrageous amount of cash in airline taxes and AirCanada fees, such that flying Porter and paying cash for the same flight costs me less in cash. This means my Aeroplan points are worthless, so why am I still flying AirCanada? Well folks, I just switched over to Porter Airlines.
Megan, a small demerit for lax continuity: one reason you recommend Porter is their 2+2 seating configuration in every plane, yet the brief clip at the end of the video showing the interior of a plane (stock footage perhaps?) clearly shows 3+3 seating. Otherwise, great info.
We have not flown with porter as of yet, however we will be flying to Las Vegas with them in the near future! We have our flights booked for this coming April and are very much looking forward to experiencing their service...this will be the fourth different Airline we have flown in the last 3 years
When Midway Airlines first started making flight runs out of Chicago’s Midway Airport - their approach to customer service was very similar to Porter’s….good service…happy staff..lovely designer style snacks, etc. Enjoy this nice travel bubble while it lasts!!
Air Canada has seat tvs which is nice but porter has free wifi which is so much more important to me than a few movies and tv shows that i can download on my ipad or phone lmao
Not on all planes, they can bump you to a Rouge plane and no tv’s. I’ve had it happen, they cancelled the Dreamliner and changed the flight to Rouge. A.so some of those seatback yv’s are so shitth you can’t see the screen, at least I can’t with really bad vision.
My concern with Porter. You have to arrive at the destination on time, for whatever reason. My reason is to meet up with a cruise ship. With A/C or Southwest out of Buffalo there are multiple flights a day to my destination. If for some reason the plane cannot leave say mechanical or maybe weather delay Porter has just that one flight and maybe if lucky a later flight with plane and airline changes later in the day, so your plane doesn’t fly and you’re screwed. At least with multiple flights each day you at least have the hope of hopping onto another flight. Also we do make it a habit of flying out at least one day prior. Have a look at Porters bookings for Tampa in 2025 and look at A/C for Tampa, or even Orlando, Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. Here’s the other thing too, price as you mentioned. Porter with the extra legroom seat and cancellation is about $1,700 rtrn, for two A/C Rouge comfort seat option is over $2,000 for two rtn, Westjet $1,300 but reg seat and future credit for cancelation, Jan/Feb 2025.
The last time I was on an airplane was 2010 when I went to Cairo on Lufthansa via Frankfort. Last time I was on an Air Canada flight was in 1997 when I went to Miami. I have never been on Porter but I have never really had an issue with Air Canada. Since I don’t fly often as a used to, I prefer to fly business class when I travel because I don’t travel often. I have accumulated 600,000 Aeroplan points on Air Canada, so I have no plans to change airline or Star Alliance member airlines anytime soon.
I am 68. Flying cross Canada since 1973. Yes, AC has some issues. What airline doesn’t? Flew Westjet once…paying the extra $100 for ‘premium’. **cough** she waggled her butt, spent 45+ minutes in the cockpit, and then proceeded to stand in front of me with pilot (copilot?) for 30+ minutes chatting loudly while I was trying to read. I had to ask for water, the cold box lunch that was supposed to be included . I will NEVER fly Westjet again. Almost 3 hour flight and she did NOTHING. We get AREOPLAN points. We fly business class everytime with minimal $$ output. Includes free luggage, AC lounges at every stop, and good meals (and alcohol if you are a drinker). I will stay with Air Canada.
Flying exclusively business class on any airline will be good experience. So you’re not saying much about air Canada. air Canada really needs to update their old recliner seat business class seats. It’s criminal what they charge for it. Their lay flat pods are competitive but they charge the same for old recliner seats. And I’ve recently been flying business class on Westjet to Mexico. They have lie flat pods vs air Canadas recliner seats. For like 1/3rd the price.
Me too. Air Canada is just better overall. Plus it's global reach, lounge access etc. I all feel their cabin crews are more professional and don't rely on recordings for announcements in other languages. Also even in economy basic, one personal item plus carry on, internationally too.
So far AC has done fine for us on all our Eu trips(4 times since 2014) into Madrid (2X),Lisbon, and recently Frankfurt. As always coming home from CDG in Paris is interesting but this year was better and much fewer lineups and delays than 2019. Nice Porter review, they would be tops for any USA trip for us.
I have a question and a comment. First the question ... If you are flying on Porter between Canada & the US, does Porter participate in the TSA Pre-✅ or the CATSA Trusted Traveler programs (will your Bording Pass be annotated as TSA Pre-✅)? Next the comment ... one way in which some people may be able to keep costs down on Porter is that if you are a serving member of the Armed Services of either Canada or the US, or a Veteran, you can get the baggage fee for up to 3 pieces of checked baggage waived.
Obviously I don't know, but I'll take license to assume you tried to flaunt Transport Canada (and FAA) baggage (checked or carry-on or both) regulations ... don't fly Porter, your choice ...
Wouldn’t recommend Porter. My sister flew them from Saint John to Windsor only for the return leg to be cancelled the night before her flight and just after customer service closed for the day. The next available flight was several days out so ended up using my United miles to book her on a real airline with a real network: Air Canada
@@TravelAdventureswithEricB I have a 20% discount voucher with Air Canada that I have to use up before the end of next year, so Porter is on the back burner for now.
How on earth can anyone make an airplane bathroom smaller? I have a question about how medical equipment and wheelchairs are handled. As for not being able to change to another airline, Southwest seems to have a similar problem.
This is a feature of budget airlines in general, as they prefer point-to-point flights, so you're unlikely to miss a flight due to another flight being delayed - you're just going to arrive at your destination later, not get stuck at the hub.
@@igorbednarski8048 To me this airline is designed for commuters. They aren’t the first. Before deregulation PSA, California, had a charge for a checked bag. Dad tried to board with a brief case and they wanted to charge him to take it as they were insisting it needed to be checked. At that time all prices were the same so he simply said to give him his ticket back and he’d fly United as he knew they wouldn’t charge him. They changed their mind!
Porter is expanding so fast their costs will eventually run them out of business. Small domestic carriers cannot survive against WestJet and Air Canada just in a domestic market.
Air Canada flight attendants are the RUDEST I've ever experienced. I'm trying Porter in May. My favorite will always be British Airways for Heathrow to Pearson.
With the exception of Chicago, they only go to US Eastern border. So unless you live in Canada and only going to the Eastern Border or Chicago, Porter is not going to be a good choice for majority of the United States.
Air Canada hasn't changed much over the years. I remember flying Air Canada as a child with my parents to Norfolk Va. back in 1968. My mom asked for a glass of Ginger Ale for me, and the flight attendant told her no couldn't because they only had enough for the alcoholic beverages. This left a bad taste in my mouth (obviously not ginger ale) for this airline and although I've flown AC since, things really haven't gotten any better. A couple days ago my wife flew to Edmonton via Porter and she was impressed. Her only complaint was there was a total lack of food for purchase that left her with only a snack. She's not big on breakfast so she didn't eat until arrival after 3:pm eastern time. Not a good situation for a person that's had gastric bypass surgery.
...? In my experience they have taken a nose dive and get worse every single year. Always late, lose my luggage, planes are FILTHY, seats are smaller, no more free seat selection, no more free luggage , everything AC is worse.
At the rate of many's pay, verbal conclusions laced with conviction of unaffordability of prestige carriers with higher class configuration---containing some of many luxuries they are certain to not afford -- only lend to wishes of only boarding aforementioned 'best airlines one's never heard of' -- to requisitely fulfill determination of reaching same destination---as costly operators in same time anyhow ---never mind in comparable style...
Will have to wait unit they get a bit more planes to get where I need to go directly, looked up a flight from Toronto to Boston which has me doing a 4 hour layover in Ottawa first and only one flight that day. Need a bit more flexibly and flights per day to the US. Its great they are running flights to Florida now also, They should be able to go more south than there but still more planes will help so we Canadian's can get more choices on airlines and flights
Flew Porter last week out of Billy Bishop. It was a bit of a trek. I'd rather fly out if Pearson, which Porter now flies out of. I don't have a least/most favorite airline. Personally all I want is low fair and a safe flight.
Porter is a great airline, but lets face it, they are a low cost airline. You state their aircraft are configured as 2 + 2 seating as if its an advantage. It's not. Their jets are regional aircraft and budget ones at that. they use the worst currently produced regional jet. I dont fly domestic much, but as I'm a loyalty program addict so Poeter is useless to me. It should also be said that the industry strongly suspects that Porter is not profitable and could disappear at any moment. But you're not in the industry, so you wouldn't know this. Yes theres a place in the market for Porter, and i like what they're doing, but they aren't a full service airline, so i can't use them.
Porter is garbage. Pay a bit more for a better airline. Porter cost us 2x more because they made us miss a flight due to detour due to an emergency landing, told us we would receive help arranging our next flight to our destination and they refuse to help after we landed knowing the detour had made us moss our flight, said it was the other airlines problem and wouldn't help to even recommend hotels or anything. DO NOT BOOK WITH PORTER. hands down the worst airline we have had to deal with
Shut up flying Air Canada is more worse because of the 3 plane crashes if you fly WestJet it’s more better the foods are more free you don’t have to pay them Air Canada you need to pay them so I preferred Canada is my worst favourite so fly WestJet all the time when you take a plane
I flew westjet to europe and between canada and I had a great experience. Meals we're delicious friendly staff. Zero complaint. However I do know a coworker who lost their luggage on a 1 hr flight. Guess it just depends.
I know that Air Canada is ripped by numerous fliers, but I've never had an issue. As for Porter, I've only had one flight, but it was a forgettable flight. Most of their fleet is made up of Dash 8-400 planes. While it's a reliable plane, I truly can't stand being a passenger in one. On a short flight to Toronto (where there were weather issues) my 12:30 flight was delayed by two hours. Completely understandable with the weather in Toronto. We took off from Ottawa at 2:30 and were halfway on our trip when we were informed that we would be turning around to go back to Ottawa for maintenance issues (I'm assuming that Billy Bishop airport didn't have the facilities to see to this). We didn't leave Ottawa again until 8 pm. When we finally arrived at the Toronto Island airport, there were no gates available. We waited in a Dash 8 for a little over an hour for a gate. The gentleman next to me watched his plane for Thunder Bay leave without him. We did not have the nice snacks or free drink on our plane. We finally got off the plane at 10:10 pm. I realize that the conditions were unusual, but shy of crashing, this was easily the worst flight I ever had.
Never fly Air Canada do you have the rudest flight attendants and they have free crashes in the most crashes in the Canada history only for Canadian planes trans Canada airways or Air Canada don’t even serve nice foods but I took care of Canada before so prefer westjet it’s the best airline ever
I'm a pilot for Porter on the E2. Great video (glad to hear you love the crews!) but I'd like to make one correction. ATC doesn't give preference to one airline over another when deciding who gets take off or landing priority. ATC couldn't care less which airline it is. It's first come, first served.
The fact that Porter is a smaller (for now) airline means nothing. If I call for taxi before an Air Canada flight then we go first.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing that! Hope to have you as my pilot next time I fly Porter!
@@PortableProfessional It would be my pleasure!
Awesome. Thanks for keeping it real for us.
My experience with them was amazing. They’re really affordable but they offer such great service!! The free snacks, professional friendly staff was such a surprise because the ticket prices were cheap.
That's great to hear!
I find it so interesting how a lot of people dislike Air Canada, but I have flown with them a lot and have always had good experiences…
Me too. I really enjoy them. Seat back entertainment instead of BYOD (especially without device holders), global reach, lounges everywhere, etc. just because they are bigger, doesn't make them all that bad. They are my no1 Canadian carrier, and I have flown them all (the main ones - not things like air Tindi)
I've mostly had good experiences with them too. Not my favourite airline, but they're solid.
Wait until they suddenly let you down. Pompous.
@@Oilcruzer it's been a long wait for me
Never met a single person irl who's had a good experience on AC. I've had all my worst flying experience on AC
Flew with porter for the first time last year. I love that they fly to ytz instead of person. So cool being able to take off and land in downtown Toronto
I agree! Safe travels, Weston!
I will always choose Porter if it's an option. Living in Toronto, being able to avoid Pearson makes up for a lot of cons, and I've always had good experiences with them. (I do make sure to book flights that aren't the last flight of the day, but I do that with almost every flight.)
I despise Air Canada and prefer flying West Jet, however, since they were bought out some years ago, they seem to be in a race with AC to the bottom. I did 2 trips to Europe last year- first with AC, major delays and my suitcase stayed in TO for days, sent to Europe ( no notification) and sent back. Finally got it a week after I got back. Second trip with WJ and KLM. No problems from start to finish.
I just used Porter from Halifax toToronto and back service was great .
Never heard of Porter but thanks so much for bringing this to us from the US!
They have more flight options in Canada but certainly expanding in the US!
So pumped for my Porter flight from Toronto to Edmonton tomorrow! Already checked in - this is going to be awesome. Thanks for the video.
Have a great flight!
I flew on Porter from Newark to Toronto and it was one of the best airlines I've ever used. At the time they had a lounge that was opened to all passengers which was awesome and I was able to relax with a nice latte before my flight. I would definitely recommend Porter. 🙂
Great to hear! My experiences thus far have also been positive! Lets hope they keep it up!
I need booker pls
I flew Porter from Toronto to northern Ontario on several business trips. Loved the service great attitude of the flight attendants. I was happy to learn Porter now flies to Las Vegas from Toronto Pearson airport. A friend of mine flew Air Canada last week to Vegas and flight was delayed 8 1/2 hours. That's why I am booking with Porter.
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We are taking our first trip with Porter in February to Fort Lauderdale ~ I am a nervous flyer so hope all goes well!
Focus on your sunny destination! Enjoy Fort Lauderdale!
Hmm good to know for trips to Canada. I will definitely try them
I feel you on the wedding season front. The bright side is the freedom to travel
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for sharing. Hopefully they will expand to the west coast of the US.
I hope so too! They have been adding new routes!
They will be expanding to San Francisco and Los Angeles once they receive the jets from Embraer.
I’ve flown Porter many times to eastern Canada. Always pleased with service and the very friendly “Easy Coast Hospitality”. Watching this tonight from Johannesburg. Great travel info Meagan. Air Canada? :(……Don’t get me started!
Making reservations for that Dulles to Toronto/Billy Bishop City Airport. What a little jewel! I'll send you a post travel report Megan!
Sounds good, Gerry! Happy travels!
Porter Airlines sounds pretty good. I love the "no middle seat" option! Of course that means these are all regional Embrarer 145-175? Meaning smaller jets...and if you're a larger person like myself...well may not enjoy the flight as much as a smaller person. I am working towards being that smaller person....Air Canada? Flown them once from Boston to Toronto. No issues.
It's an E195-E2 it is a bigger plane than E175 or E145
Erj 195 E
Love Porter. Flying with them again this weekend :)
Super! Have a great flight!
I have only travelled with Air Canada once and I was not impressed with them. I thought they would be a full service airline but they were no better than a budget airline.
I have flown from Halifax to Montreal and Toronto with Porter and both were an excellent experience.
Good to hear! Happy travels, Jane!
I used Porter Airlines in the only flight I've ever been on(Not including when I was 2 years old and I apparently went to Florida with my Nana and Papa while my brother was born). My flight with Porter was in 2013. My wife and I took a flight from the Island Airport in Toronto to Quebec City to get on a New England Cruise. I remember the stewerdess being nice and giving me gum when she noticed there was a problem with my head caused by the flight. I think it had to do with the change in air pressure. I don't really remember any problems with the flight itself. We made it and went on our Cruise. I came back via a train on AmTrak from Boston to Buffalo and a Lincoln Towncar limo from Buffalo to Caledon(just northwest of Toronto) where we lived at the time.
Love flying with Porter to Billy Bishop Airport!
Great to hear!
Hopefully they do well!
I don't think any airline as had exclusively 2+2 seating since Midwest Express
Interesting I’m intrigued. I’ll give a try. 😊
You might be pleasantly surprised! Happy travels!
Near my town we have Avelo Airlines. They only have 5 planes in my state but they cover all the cities I need. They are equivalent to your porter airline.
Are you in Wilmington DE? We have Avelo and I want to try them out soon.
@@mimibatman2787I'm in CT. Avelo is great. It saved my last Christmas when Frontier cancelled my flight to FL but Avelo booked me the next day on Dec 23! I was waiting on line for Frontier when they cancelled! Frontier airlines is awful!!
Reminds me of Spirit Airlines. Great for quick trips and low budget travelers but for couples, packers, etc like me aid prefer to get my seats and luggage included in my price rather than paying for every little thing. I get it though.
I’m booked to try Porter from Montreal to Halifax in May 2024 as part of my travels across Canada. Due to flying in from Dublin the night before I’ll need to do the whole upgrade the luggage thing so will be interesting to see how that goes.
Always looking forward to your videos. Much love from Zimbabwe!
Thanks for watching!
I agree with you about Air Canada. Prefer to fly with any other airline.
Same I'd do anything to avoid AC!!
This airline sounds great, just have to play by the rules to keep that low fare that we all look for. Love your description of the restroom…compact!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I try to avoid American, but since I have family around DFW sometimes there’s little other choice
Depending on how big the under-seat carry-on bag can be (and I could see this being very restrictive, like a laptop bag or small backpack) it may be possible to travel light and still get a good deal if you can manage to fit your stuff within a small backpack under the seat, and I would think for a 2-3 day trip, that might be possible and this could leave to a bunch of savings over alternatives that may charge you a higher price (but you get to bring a carry-on) which may mean more luggage than you may need for a short trip).
Least favorite airline... there are a lot, but ones that top my list of "worst airlines flown" would have to be Spirit (the worst), Frontier (bad, but not as bad as Spirit). And I've flown Frontier about 3 times, only 1 time was "bad" but it was partially my fault due to seat selection -- I thought the exit row seat that had no seat in front of it was a good idea -- no it wasn't, not for a 4 hour flight, as this seat was plastic, didn't recline, and had almost no padding on the seat -- as it was designed to fold up in an emergency, so that was more my fault, than the airline). Spirit just nckle-and-dime you to death, like $8 to have a boarding pass printed (and this was before the pandemic, so probably more now, and I had to pay for a carry-on, which has beomce free for most other airlines. Checked bag I think was $45, which is $10 more than other airlines, so after a while, the charges make it cost about the same as fly United or even more than Southwest in some cases -- where on SW, checked bags are free but the fares are still competitive). American Airlines is probably my third least favorite, but still better than Spirit and Frontier, IMO, but worse than United and Southwest.
Anyway, I think Porter seems to be more like some of the other budget airlines... great if you don't need a carry-on beyond a backpack, but more expensive if you do and/or you bring a checked bag, which $60 is extreme. Even United doesn't charge that (I believe only $35 for the first bag, and $45 for the second on a domestic US flight). Southwest is free, and also has no seat fees either (and this makes the $15 early-bird check in worth it as it's still cheaper than some paid seats on airlines that force you to buy a seat after you've paid a low fare, sometimes costing more than SW when all said and done). My only gripe with SW is that they have been slipping on their on-time stats, and have been delayed quite a bit over the past 2 years (more so than other airlines) so I only fly them when I can get a direct non-stop flight and I'm not on a tight time-schedule (ie. I can arrive any time during the day, for example if I'm on vacation -- so a 1-2 hour delay won't screw things up; otherwise I fly something else like United if timing is important, like for a business meeting or if I have a connection). The partnerships with other airlines though is one thing I do miss when flying Southwest as I have missed a flight once, and while they took care of it (I didn't have to pay anything) it did mean that I arrive a day later (this had a connection, and why I won't fly their flights unless they are non-stop) anymore). But they did pay for a night at the hotel in the airport and some food as a result, which was apprecaited, but annoying. Luckily I was on vacation so a missed night wasn't a big deal and the compensation made up for it (as I was just going to go to the hotel once I got there and sleep anyway).
Thanks for watching! I enjoy reading about your many experiences and opinions of flight travel!
If they ever get to where they fly from YVR to TUS, I'll definitely fly with them to visit family.
With new routes being added you never know! Happy travels!
I have been an Aeroplan member for over twenty five years. Their rewards program has gone downhill. A reward flight from YOW to MCO return, costs me a ton of points, plus an outrageous amount of cash in airline taxes and AirCanada fees, such that flying Porter and paying cash for the same flight costs me less in cash. This means my Aeroplan points are worthless, so why am I still flying AirCanada? Well folks, I just switched over to Porter Airlines.
Porter's tagline: "Flying Refined." Air Canada's: "What the hell do you want!?!"
Another Air Canada classic: We're not happy till you're unhappy
My cousin is flying in to Toronto from Vancouver soon on Porter so I will find out how it went, I'm sure she will love it.
Megan, a small demerit for lax continuity: one reason you recommend Porter is their 2+2 seating configuration in every plane, yet the brief clip at the end of the video showing the interior of a plane (stock footage perhaps?) clearly shows 3+3 seating. Otherwise, great info.
We have not flown with porter as of yet, however we will be flying to Las Vegas with them in the near future! We have our flights booked for this coming April and are very much looking forward to experiencing their service...this will be the fourth different Airline we have flown in the last 3 years
Amazing video and review! Thank you very much.
When Midway Airlines first started making flight runs out of Chicago’s Midway Airport - their approach to customer service was very similar to Porter’s….good service…happy staff..lovely designer style snacks, etc. Enjoy this nice travel bubble while it lasts!!
Thanks for watching!
Air Canada has a good safety record and a decent in-flight entertainment system. However, their customer service is terrible.
True! Thanks for watching!
Do you really choose your airline for its safety record? Airline travel is so safe these days across all airlines.
Air Canada has seat tvs which is nice but porter has free wifi which is so much more important to me than a few movies and tv shows that i can download on my ipad or phone lmao
Not on all planes, they can bump you to a Rouge plane and no tv’s. I’ve had it happen, they cancelled the
Dreamliner and changed the flight to Rouge. A.so some of those seatback yv’s are so shitth you can’t see the screen, at least I can’t with really bad vision.
@@TripReviews Fr especially how porter has free wifi so seatback tvs is so useless when free wifi is available
Poter is soooooooooo good a pilot is so good❤
What are the complaints from the Halifax airport? I am taking a trip there next week and would like to be prepared!
As a matter of fact, I’m travelling from Halifax to Ottawa with Porter Airlines! We’ll see what happens! Lol
That's great! Happy travels, Janice!
My concern with Porter. You have to arrive at the destination on time, for whatever reason. My reason is to meet up with a cruise ship. With A/C or Southwest out of Buffalo there are multiple flights a day to my destination. If for some reason the plane cannot leave say mechanical or maybe weather delay Porter has just that one flight and maybe if lucky a later flight with plane and airline changes later in the day, so your plane doesn’t fly and you’re screwed. At least with multiple flights each day you at least have the hope of hopping onto another flight. Also we do make it a habit of flying out at least one day prior. Have a look at Porters bookings for Tampa in 2025 and look at A/C for Tampa, or even Orlando, Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. Here’s the other thing too, price as you mentioned. Porter with the extra legroom seat and cancellation is about $1,700 rtrn, for two A/C Rouge comfort seat option is over $2,000 for two rtn, Westjet $1,300 but reg seat and future credit for cancelation, Jan/Feb 2025.
The last time I was on an airplane was 2010 when I went to Cairo on Lufthansa via Frankfort. Last time I was on an Air Canada flight was in 1997 when I went to Miami. I have never been on Porter but I have never really had an issue with Air Canada. Since I don’t fly often as a used to, I prefer to fly business class when I travel because I don’t travel often. I have accumulated 600,000 Aeroplan points on Air Canada, so I have no plans to change airline or Star Alliance member airlines anytime soon.
it has free wifi while up 30k altitude? and only no middle row seats?
That lowest is exactly for people who travel with no baggage after all, is nice that you can choose the best for you.
Somebody knows how much cost the checked bag from Toronto to San Francisco ?
NICE!
Thank you! Cheers!
I am 68. Flying cross Canada since 1973. Yes, AC has some issues. What airline doesn’t? Flew Westjet once…paying the extra $100 for ‘premium’. **cough** she waggled her butt, spent 45+ minutes in the cockpit, and then proceeded to stand in front of me with pilot (copilot?) for 30+ minutes chatting loudly while I was trying to read. I had to ask for water, the cold box lunch that was supposed to be included . I will NEVER fly Westjet again. Almost 3 hour flight and she did NOTHING. We get AREOPLAN points. We fly business class everytime with minimal $$ output. Includes free luggage, AC lounges at every stop, and good meals (and alcohol if you are a drinker). I will stay with Air Canada.
Flying exclusively business class on any airline will be good experience. So you’re not saying much about air Canada.
air Canada really needs to update their old recliner seat business class seats. It’s criminal what they charge for it. Their lay flat pods are competitive but they charge the same for old recliner seats.
And I’ve recently been flying business class on Westjet to Mexico. They have lie flat pods vs air Canadas recliner seats. For like 1/3rd the price.
Me too. Air Canada is just better overall. Plus it's global reach, lounge access etc. I all feel their cabin crews are more professional and don't rely on recordings for announcements in other languages. Also even in economy basic, one personal item plus carry on, internationally too.
I don’t see Porter in YYC, I was told it’s normally in Canada’s east coast
Definitely more flights in the east but they do have some routes out of Calgary!
Thanks for the tip and this vid, Ms. M
My least preferred airline is United Airlines; unfortunately , I have a pending flight with them in January.
Hoping your flight experience goes smoothly! Happy travels, Lee!
So far AC has done fine for us on all our Eu trips(4 times since 2014) into Madrid (2X),Lisbon, and recently Frankfurt. As always coming home from CDG in Paris is interesting but this year was better and much fewer lineups and delays than 2019. Nice Porter review, they would be tops for any USA trip for us.
Nice to hear that AC has come through for you! Thanks for watching!
My AC to Europe was delayed, I got trapped in Frankfurt because I missed my connection. Also the flight there was filthy
I have a question and a comment. First the question ... If you are flying on Porter between Canada & the US, does Porter participate in the TSA Pre-✅ or the CATSA Trusted Traveler programs (will your Bording Pass be annotated as TSA Pre-✅)?
Next the comment ... one way in which some people may be able to keep costs down on Porter is that if you are a serving member of the Armed Services of either Canada or the US, or a Veteran, you can get the baggage fee for up to 3 pieces of checked baggage waived.
Looks like it's made for snowbirds. I was going to compare fares with Southwest, but it doesn't fly to Canada.
Porter: I'm sorry sir but your wallet is oversized and must be checked.
Me: how much is that going to cost?
Porter : $1200
Just hand over the wallet.
Obviously I don't know, but I'll take license to assume you tried to flaunt Transport Canada (and FAA) baggage (checked or carry-on or both) regulations ... don't fly Porter, your choice ...
What is your favorite airline for traveling to Europe?
Lufthansa
You are simply adorable! Your voice is amazingly cute.
Title seems pretty familiar 🤔
and thumbnail
Wouldn’t recommend Porter. My sister flew them from Saint John to Windsor only for the return leg to be cancelled the night before her flight and just after customer service closed for the day. The next available flight was several days out so ended up using my United miles to book her on a real airline with a real network: Air Canada
I had this two weeks ago with British Airways, something a lot of airlines seem to be doing
you said newer airline? ummm they've been around for a while, first flight was October 23, 2006.
I’d try Porter if were flying within NA
I flew Porter in 2017, I believe it was going from Chicago to Montreal
@@TravelAdventureswithEricB I have a 20% discount voucher with Air Canada that I have to use up before the end of next year, so Porter is on the back burner for now.
Porter has a sale on right now, finishes January 1. And we both just missed ACs Boxing Day 25 percent off😢😢😢
This is all hype!
Iberia is my least fave. I'm *still* waiting to receive reimbursement for delayed receipt of my luggage in *January *.
How on earth can anyone make an airplane bathroom smaller?
I have a question about how medical equipment and wheelchairs are handled.
As for not being able to change to another airline, Southwest seems to have a similar problem.
This is a feature of budget airlines in general, as they prefer point-to-point flights, so you're unlikely to miss a flight due to another flight being delayed - you're just going to arrive at your destination later, not get stuck at the hub.
@@igorbednarski8048 To me this airline is designed for commuters. They aren’t the first. Before deregulation PSA, California, had a charge for a checked bag. Dad tried to board with a brief case and they wanted to charge him to take it as they were insisting it needed to be checked. At that time all prices were the same so he simply said to give him his ticket back and he’d fly United as he knew they wouldn’t charge him. They changed their mind!
E2 is the best.
Porter is expanding so fast their costs will eventually run them out of business. Small domestic carriers cannot survive against WestJet and Air Canada just in a domestic market.
Air Canada flight attendants are the RUDEST I've ever experienced. I'm trying Porter in May. My favorite will always be British Airways for Heathrow to Pearson.
Not a fan of Air Canada either.
Could I ask you a question please? If you book the basic fare, how much do they charge your for an extra carry on bag?
Does a gym beg count has a personal item?
It's all about the measurements
first min in to the video im like good to hear because they'll be my best friend tmr
With the exception of Chicago, they only go to US Eastern border. So unless you live in Canada and only going to the Eastern Border or Chicago, Porter is not going to be a good choice for majority of the United States.
They’ve actually announced a pretty extensive US expansion with service to LA, San Francisco, Orlando, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale and Ft. Myers.
@@andysorensen1737again only 2 on that list is not on the Eastern US border
As Porter receives more of their jet order from Embraer, they are expanding to more North American and Caribbean destinations.
@@martyburke2203 you are also forgetting to add that they must obtain the routes when other airlines give up on them.
Everyone has an opinion. Its great to see reviews but checking the facts is important. Giving misinformation about take off priority is a rookie move.
is this a copy of erick struk?
Least favorite airlines: American! 😢
Air Canada hasn't changed much over the years. I remember flying Air Canada as a child with my parents to Norfolk Va. back in 1968. My mom asked for a glass of Ginger Ale for me, and the flight attendant told her no couldn't because they only had enough for the alcoholic beverages. This left a bad taste in my mouth (obviously not ginger ale) for this airline and although I've flown AC since, things really haven't gotten any better. A couple days ago my wife flew to Edmonton via Porter and she was impressed. Her only complaint was there was a total lack of food for purchase that left her with only a snack. She's not big on breakfast so she didn't eat until arrival after 3:pm eastern time. Not a good situation for a person that's had gastric bypass surgery.
...? In my experience they have taken a nose dive and get worse every single year. Always late, lose my luggage, planes are FILTHY, seats are smaller, no more free seat selection, no more free luggage , everything AC is worse.
I agree with u , i don’t like air canada
They are unique but not in a good way!
When you imply that anything from Delta is better than Air Canada....
Just no.
Great video though.
Although Porter Air flies out of Vancouver BC, it doesn't fly to Edmonton.
So no good for me
There are a few routes from Edmonton. Hopefully they will add more! Welcome to the channel, Gary!
I hope to travel with Porter in the future. Thank you. I do enjoy your videos, thanks to my Wife watching yours and many others about cruising
At the rate of many's pay, verbal conclusions laced with conviction of unaffordability of prestige carriers with higher class configuration---containing some of many luxuries they are certain to not afford -- only lend to wishes of only boarding aforementioned 'best airlines one's never heard of' -- to requisitely fulfill determination of reaching same destination---as costly operators in same time anyhow ---never mind in comparable style...
size and newness of an airline has nothing to do with landing priority.
Will have to wait unit they get a bit more planes to get where I need to go directly, looked up a flight from Toronto to Boston which has me doing a 4 hour layover in Ottawa first and only one flight that day. Need a bit more flexibly and flights per day to the US. Its great they are running flights to Florida now also, They should be able to go more south than there but still more planes will help so we Canadian's can get more choices on airlines and flights
Flew Porter last week out of Billy Bishop. It was a bit of a trek. I'd rather fly out if Pearson, which Porter now flies out of.
I don't have a least/most favorite airline. Personally all I want is low fair and a safe flight.
Thanks for watching, Claudia!
Disappointed with Air Canada 😢
Me too! Thanks for watching!
I stay away from United
Thanks for watching, Daniel!
Porter is a great airline, but lets face it, they are a low cost airline. You state their aircraft are configured as 2 + 2 seating as if its an advantage. It's not. Their jets are regional aircraft and budget ones at that. they use the worst currently produced regional jet. I dont fly domestic much, but as I'm a loyalty program addict so Poeter is useless to me. It should also be said that the industry strongly suspects that Porter is not profitable and could disappear at any moment. But you're not in the industry, so you wouldn't know this. Yes theres a place in the market for Porter, and i like what they're doing, but they aren't a full service airline, so i can't use them.
Porter is garbage. Pay a bit more for a better airline. Porter cost us 2x more because they made us miss a flight due to detour due to an emergency landing, told us we would receive help arranging our next flight to our destination and they refuse to help after we landed knowing the detour had made us moss our flight, said it was the other airlines problem and wouldn't help to even recommend hotels or anything.
DO NOT BOOK WITH PORTER.
hands down the worst airline we have had to deal with
No flight attendants are your best friends, sorry to break that too you 🤣
AC sucks
My least favorite airline is United. I will never fly with them again.
I don’t like air Canada
Not my favorite either! Thanks for watching, Daphne!
Don't ever fly West Jet. Its American version of Spirit Airlines.
I'll keep that in mind! Thanks for watching!
Booker plss
Shut up flying Air Canada is more worse because of the 3 plane crashes if you fly WestJet it’s more better the foods are more free you don’t have to pay them Air Canada you need to pay them so I preferred Canada is my worst favourite so fly WestJet all the time when you take a plane
@@PortableProfessional he’s wrong Air Canada has the worst flight attendant
I flew westjet to europe and between canada and I had a great experience. Meals we're delicious friendly staff. Zero complaint. However I do know a coworker who lost their luggage on a 1 hr flight. Guess it just depends.
I know that Air Canada is ripped by numerous fliers, but I've never had an issue.
As for Porter, I've only had one flight, but it was a forgettable flight. Most of their fleet is made up of Dash 8-400 planes. While it's a reliable plane, I truly can't stand being a passenger in one.
On a short flight to Toronto (where there were weather issues) my 12:30 flight was delayed by two hours. Completely understandable with the weather in Toronto.
We took off from Ottawa at 2:30 and were halfway on our trip when we were informed that we would be turning around to go back to Ottawa for maintenance issues (I'm assuming that Billy Bishop airport didn't have the facilities to see to this). We didn't leave Ottawa again until 8 pm. When we finally arrived at the Toronto Island airport, there were no gates available. We waited in a Dash 8 for a little over an hour for a gate. The gentleman next to me watched his plane for Thunder Bay leave without him.
We did not have the nice snacks or free drink on our plane.
We finally got off the plane at 10:10 pm.
I realize that the conditions were unusual, but shy of crashing, this was easily the worst flight I ever had.
Definitely not a good introduction to Porter! I understand why you would avoid flying with them! Hope your future travels are smoother!
Shit, I just booked a flight with Air Canada.
Not that Air Canada is terrible. Have a great flight!
@@PortableProfessional Thank you Megan!
Stop giving out alcohol on flights ffs.. causes more problems than it needs to.
I am not a fan of Air India
Never fly Air Canada do you have the rudest flight attendants and they have free crashes in the most crashes in the Canada history only for Canadian planes trans Canada airways or Air Canada don’t even serve nice foods but I took care of Canada before so prefer westjet it’s the best airline ever